The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Guntur chilli yard to reopen on May 12

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Tuesday, May 06, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Guntur chilli yard to reopen on May 12

Ramesh Susarla

Ryots’ list being prepared

Collector holds talks with stakeholders
Compensation will offset losses

GUNTUR: The Guntur Agriculture Market dedicated to trading of chilli will reopen on Monday next after the major fire that devastated the entire yard on Saturday.

While the district administration was preparing the list of farmers who had lost their stocks in the yard, the district Collector held talks with members of exporters, commission agents and insurance company representatives.

The overall perception among the stakeholders was to ensure compensating for the loss without entering into too much of legalities.

Chilli Merchants’ Association president Kilaru Roshaiah told The Hindu that the price of chilli was likely to open 10 per cent higher on the initial day, but stabilise with sufficient supplies coming in from farmers.

Last picking of chilli in many farms was still pending and farmers hope to complete the trading by May-end contrary to the May19 or 20 last trading day. Later, the trading continues, but major stocks come from cold storages. The price of chilli in other agriculture market yards like Warangal and Khammam had gone up slightly on adverse demand and supply, he added.

This year, there was 130 per cent bounty crop due to good rains. But untimely rain during end of March reduced the yield of good variety of chilli. Later pickings also resulted in an inferior quality of chilli (discoloured) forming major portion. If the compensation for the chilli lost in the fire was good, many of the farmers might not end up in losses, though profit margins would drastically fall, he opined. While the discoloured chilli commanded Rs.1,500 per quintal, the good quality one was getting between Rs.4,500 and Rs.5,000 a quintal.

A chilli power factory lost six of power mills outside the yard premises due to the fire and some of the exporters had severe damage to their buildings, which were on the verge of collapse, who should also be compensated, he said, and added that they had a stock of 60,000 bags.

“The total estimated loss for traders outside the premises could be Rs.30 crores,” he estimated and the same was communicated to the Collector.

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